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Dunmore and its closest competitor in District 2, Old Forge, each enjoyed memorable seasons in Class A.

Now some of the star players that made it possible are being rewarded.

Three members of the Bucks, who reached the PIAA Class A final, and two Blue Devils were selected to the Pennsylvania Sports Writers' Class A all-state football team Wednesday.

Dunmore running back Daiqwon Buckley and tackle James McHale and defensive lineman Mike Boland were chosen. Old Forge athlete Brian Tomasetti and linebacker Shane Schuback were also selected.

Dunmore coach Jack Henzes was named the Class A coach of the year.

This year, only one team per classification will be chosen, comprised of up to 33 players, including specialists.

There were no players from the Lackawanna Football Conference chosen to the Class AA team which was also announced. Teams for Class AAAA and Class AAA will be revealed today.

"I am very happy for the young men," Henzes said. "It was a great season, the kids played very hard."

Using his power and speed, the 5-foot-11, 215-pound Buckley ran for a team-high 1,799 yards with 23 touchdowns, even though he missed three games in the early part of the season because of knee surgery.

During the playoffs, which included a win over Old Forge in the District 2 Class A final, Buckley ran for 854 yards and nine touchdowns, and had five straight games of more than 100 yards. His signature performance came in the PIAA semifinal win over Bellwood-Antis when he ran for 223 yards and four touchdowns.

"I didn't think I could be as successful as I was, knowing that I had the knee injury in Week 1," Buckley said. "I did what I had to do to come back. I came back early and wanted to help out. Obviously, though, I couldn't have done anything without my teammates, especially the lineman."

One of his key linemen was McHale, who at 6-7, 285 pounds, is now on the radar of major Football Bowl Subdivison schools including Penn State, Michigan State, Michigan, Rutgers, Pittsburgh and North Carolina State.

"It's such a big honor," McHale said. "To be on that list with such amazing football players.

"I don't think there is a word to describe this season. It was a dream come true."

Boland, a 6-5, 265-pound defensive end with good quickness had 67 tackles, 14 sacks and 14 tackles for loss. He is a two-time All-Region selection, being chosen on offense as a junior and defense this season.

"I have to thank the rest of my teammates, because without them, I would not be able to accomplish anything," Boland said. "At Dunmore, we are all one big family and we all did whatever we had to do to win and get to where we wanted to go."

Old Forge was the only team to defeat Dunmore in District 2.

Led by Tomasetti's record-setting season, the Blue Devils captured the LFC Division III title and finished 11-1. He had nine interceptions, returning three for touchdowns and finished with 27 tackles and a fumble recovery and was chosen as The Times-Tribune Defensive Player of the Year.

On offense, he had 220 carries for 1,810 yards and 31 touchdowns, while adding ï¬ve receptions for 86 yards and two touchdowns, finishing with 36 touchdowns for 220 points.

"It means a lot to me, but it also means a lot to the Old Forge program," said Tomasetti. "It was a great year. I set a goal to be all-state, but really the most important thing is that our team just played great all season."

As a linebacker, Schuback turned in a strong performance in his junior year, totaling 98 tackles with 15 tackles for loss, four sacks, three interceptions and four fumble recoveries.

"It's really great," Schuback said. "I worked really hard. But this is a team thing. I was happy with the outcome of the season even though we fell a little short of our goal.

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